The organizers behind Stop Hillary PAC, a political action committee quietly incorporated in May, are stepping into public view this week as they ramp up their efforts to harangue Clinton as she mulls over her political future.FULL POST

(CNN) - Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell should consider resigning in the face of federal and state investigations into lavish gifts he and his family received from a wealthy executive, the two men running to succeed McDonnell said during a debate Saturday.

Neither of the candidates, Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe, issued an outright call for McDonnell to leave office when asked about the controversy by the debate’s moderator. But both said he should at least contemplate stepping down.FULL POST

Richmond, Virginia (CNN) - This southern city is a tranquil place in the summertime.

The steamy downtown streets and grand boulevards that radiate outward from the old Confederate capital are less choked as families seek shelter from the heat and clear out of town for jaunts to the beach or the river.

(CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry has found himself squarely in the middle of the national political conversation as he clashes with Democrats over a restrictive anti-abortion bill that has drawn thousands of protesters to Austin.

The high-profile showdown - Perry this week called a second special legislative session to revive the abortion bill after Democrats blocked it with a filibuster engineered by state Sen. Wendy Davis - has re-focused attention on his national ambitions and raised the prospect that he might again run for president, even after his 2012 campaign flamed out in spectacular fashion.

Washington (CNN) - Rick Perry is inviting close friends and supporters to an event next Monday in San Antonio where he is expected to announce if he plans to seek an unprecedented fourth full term as Texas governor, CNN has learned.

Perry "will be making an announcement around mid-day in San Antonio concerning his exciting future plans," according to a "Save the Date" email obtained Tuesday by CNN. The announcement comes as Perry finds himself at the center of a high-profile legislative fight over abortion rights in his state.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - One day after the Senate passed a full-spectrum immigration bill with overwhelming support, the chairman of the Republican National Committee re-emphasized the need for reform but said the final contours of the legislation are far from settled.

"We need comprehensive immigration reform," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus told CNN in an interview in his Capitol Hill office. "I don't think we can continue to drift along with this mess of immigration laws that we have. And a mess that in many regards has been the results of our government not even enforcing the laws that are in place. There is plenty of blame to go around for why we are in this position, but I think it's about time that we address it."FULL POST

(CNN) - Rand Paul arrives in South Carolina on Friday for a handful of fundraisers and closed-door meetings with local Republicans, the latest in a series of expeditions to key primary states as he mulls a presidential bid in 2016.

If the Kentucky senator decides to embark on a White House run, a likely prospect according to those around him, his South Carolina foray crystallizes what could be a central challenge as a Republican candidate: assuaging skeptical donors in the party's establishment without rankling the grass-roots activists who helped lift him to national prominence.

Washington (CNN) - Moments after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a pair of same-sex marriage cases, the handful of Democrats considering running for president in 2016 stumbled over themselves in a rush of celebratory reaction, blasting out a salvo of congratulatory press releases and tweets.

Voting 5-4 in each of two decisions, the justices struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act that denied federal benefits to same-sex couples and cleared the way for gays and lesbians to once again marry in California.